Apple's new dock connector is basically a big old screw job. Sure, it helps make your phone slimmer, and sleeker by saving space. Great, but Apple also wants to charge you $30 for a 30-pin adapter, and it's installed a special chip to make it hard for unauthorized OEMs to produce accessories. As if that weren't bad enough, it looks like even Apple-approved Lightning-friendly hardware could still be months away.

iLounge reports sources that say that only "Apple-approved" factories will be allowed to built Lightning accessories. And they won't be able to begin production lighting accessories until after Apple holds a special seminar in China in November. That means we're nearly two months away at the earliest, and may not see then in 2012 at all. [iLounge via Cult of Mac]